Her Refuge
by SereneCalamity
Summary: "I want to take care of you before you're covered in blood, not after. He's going to hurt you badly one day, and you're not going to be able to make it up that ladder..." OneShot.


_Okay, so this was written very quickly so I apologize for any mistakes! This was done for _Shortcake99. _I hope it lives up to your expectations love! The rating is for language and slight violence._

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the _Fast and the Furious _characters._

She knew what was coming before she even looked up.

The second the front door had slammed open, smacking firmly against the wall, she knew how things were going to go. His dragged his feet along the ground, shoes still on, and when he came into the room, she could smell the bourbon from her seat on the couch. Carlos Ortiz's eyes were red from lack of sleep and the alcohol as he gazed across the room at his daughter. She tried to keep the judgement off her face, but it didn't matter.

He saw it all clear as day.

"Don't you stare at me with those prissy eyes, looking at me down your nose," he slurred at her, his voice angry. Leticia Ortiz let out a little sigh. "You're not better than me _Le-ti-cia_." She growled as she stood up.

"I'm not so fucking drunk that I can barely walk, so that's something," she hissed at him. Carlos glared at her, taking a few steps closer to her. Letty felt a cold shiver run down her spine when she saw the menacing look in his eye.

God, she hated him.

"Don't talk to me like that," he spat out, advancing even closer. Letty knew she should probably start backing away now, maybe try and make a break for the door but his hulking figure blocked her path. "I'm all you've got in this world, you treat me with some _respect_!" He hissed and Letty knew from his voice that he was just getting angrier and angrier.

"I'd rather have nothing than have you!" Letty shouted at him as he finally stood directly in front of her. Carlos's eyes narrowed and his hand shot out, grasping her hair and fisting it around his hand. She let out a squeak, but her eyes were defiant, meeting his.

"Watch your tongue, you little bitch!" He growled, pulling her hair so that she was forced closer to him. She was so close she could practically taste the bourbon on his breath. She knew better than to say anything when he had her in this grip, he was so much stronger than her and the alcohol just added to his already violent temper. Her silence seemed to anger him more and his fist tightened in her hair, his knuckles turning white and her skull stinging. She knew that tears were flooding her eyes and she sniffed, trying to hold them back, knowing that he got off on her pain. "You don't watch what you're saying and you'll be out on the street, a worthless hooker standing on a corner, just like your mother!"

"Fuck you!" Letty screamed, anger surging through her at the mention of her absentee mother. Her fingers clawed out at his face and Carlos let out a short laugh, holding her away from him, just out of her reach. His hand came up and slapped her across the face and her head snapped sideways. Letty's body went limp in his arms and he let out a snort.

"Stupid cunt," he hissed at her as he threw her backwards onto the bed. Letty's hand went to her cheek and her now bleeding nose, wincing. Her father backed out of the room, bottle of Jack Daniels in his hand as he made his way out to the veranda around the back of their house.

Letty's breathing was shallow as she closed her eyes, her shoulders shaking.

She wouldn't cry.

There was a chance he would come back, and she wouldn't let him see her cry. She had to get out of there before he finished off his bottle and came back in looking for more. She pulled on a black hoodie over the singlet she wore, not caring that she was only wearing mini shorts and it was almost the middle of the night. All she was thinking about was getting out of her house. She moved with skilled silence out of the house, knowing just the places not to put her feet as she made her way down the hallway, opened the front door and let herself out.

It was times like these that she was grateful for the house across the street, even more than usual.

Letty's feet were cold and almost to the point of being numb as she jogged across the street, not caring about the stones that were cutting into the soft skin of her feet. There were no lights on at the Toretto house, so Letty opted for the ladder balanced against the back of the house rather than the front door. She was more than a little lucky that Mr Toretto didn't mind her sneaking in during the middle of the night, that he understood her circumstances. Her face was aching, and she could feel the blood crusting under her nose and over her upper lip as she made her way up the ladder, expertly sliding up the window and throwing her leg over the ledge. She was silent as she crept across the floor, sitting down on the edge of the bed, looking down at the boy who slept there peacefully. Letty took in a shaky breath, the pain in her face and the cold of the night finally catching up to her as the adrenaline began to wear off.

She began to shiver.

"Letty?" Dominic Toretto's voice was thick with sleep. As he caught a glimpse of her face in the light cast by the moon, he shot up in bed. "Shit, Letty…" Dom put a hand out and caught her chin, twisting her face so that she was looking at him fully. Letty hated the look of pity in Dom's eyes, but she knew that he didn't mean to make her feel weak and unable to care for herself. The look was there because this happened to her far too often. As he took in the blood on her face, his other hand clenched in his lap and his eyes darkened. "I'm going to kill that bastard," he hissed out, swivelling around in the bed so that he was now out of the blankets and his body was facing her.

"No, Dom…" Letty shook her head, taking in a shaky breath and trying to calm herself down. "You know you can't go over there."

"I would if you'd let me," he snapped back. Letty didn't reply, dropping her eyes from his. He let out a sigh, knowing that this wasn't going to get them anywhere. He reached for his bedside lamp, turning it on so that he could get a better look at the damage to the seventeen year olds face. Letty could see him biting down hard on his lower lip to stop himself from saying anything else, but she could see the anger in his eyes. He got out of the bed and disappeared from the room for a few moments before coming back with a damp flannel. He sat back down on the bed, waiting for her to turn her body around to face him, crossing her legs in front of her. He put a finger under her chin to tilt it upward and began to work on the dried blood on her lip. His hand brushed against her injured cheek and she winced away from his touch. Dom's jaw tensed as he moved his hand away from her cheek, and went back to cleaning away the blood around her nose. When he finished, he put the blood stained on his bedside table before looking back at her, putting his hands on her bare knees. "I wish you'd get out there," he murmured.

"I'd have nowhere to go," Letty replied softly.

"You know dad would let you move in here," Dom offered and Letty shrugged. "You know you're family, stop making out that you've got no choice."

"He's my _family_, Dom," Letty sighed. "I can't walk out on him, I've all he's got."

"And he doesn't look after you at all," Dom argued gently. Letty gave him a warning look and he snapped his mouth shut. He licked his lower lip as he put a hand to one side of her face, caressing her uninjured cheek with the pad of his thumb. Letty's eyes closed slowly and her breathing began to steady. Dom leaned forward and placed a kiss on the end of her nose. "I hate seeing you like this." Letty could hear the emotion laced in his voice and she swallowed hard before opening her eyes and meeting his gaze. "I wish you let me take care of you…"

"You do, Dom," Letty murmured, taking the hand that was resting on his lap and interlaced their fingers. "You know I would be surviving without you." Dom's hand tightened around hers and he breathed out heavily.

"I want to take care of you _before _you're covered in blood, not after. He's going to hurt you badly one day, and you're not going to be able to make it up that ladder," he sighed and his hand cupped her face, bringing her mouth up to meet his. His kiss was soft against her lips and trailed over her swollen cheek, his touch ghostlike. He pulled away from her and pushed down the blankets of the bed. "Stay with me." It was more like an order than a question. She slipped under the blankets and he joined her, curling his body around hers. His hand rested on her stomach and his lips pressed against the nape of her neck and Letty felt sleep settling over her. "You're safe with me, Letty."

"I know…" Letty mumbled, her eyes shut and her mind going foggy with sleep. "I know…"

_Review, let me know what you think :)_


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